Local Residents Not Happy About Forced Pesticide Spraying

This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated.

Please enable Javascript to watch this video

CHARMICHAEL --

Residents in Charmichael and Fair Oaks aren’t given any choice about whether their lawns will be sprayed to fight off the Japanese beetles found in the area.

The California Department of Food and Agriculture has gone as far as to get a warrant to force reluctant home owners.

Ellen Sward was so intent on avoiding pesticides on the landscaping around her home, she took it out.

She says she's already been forced to accept some pesticides and isn't convinced it's safe to play or lay on her lawn.

"Is any of that possible now? I don't have those answers," said Sward.

Homeowners aren’t the only ones getting their lawn sprayed. The grounds and the athletic fields of Jesuit High School are scheduled to be sprayed this summer.

Stated in a release posted by the high school, no one will be allowed in the treated fields and lawns for four hours, and then it will be safe.

The CDFA says that imidacloprid, one of the pesticides used, works as a nerve agent, but that it's much less potent on mammals and is watered down. So they say it's safe because of the low levels used.

The pesticide spraying to rid the Japanese Beetles will continue throughout the summer.